On June 16th we visited the Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve near Kissimmee, Florida.
First we did some leisurely birding from the car on the drive in to the parking area.
Wild Turkeys hanging out by the side of the road
Despite this lousy photo, we did have a pretty good look at this lifer Swallow-tailed Kite as we approached the parking area.
Swallow-tailed Kite
An Eastern Bluebird greeted us at the parking area
The Preserve, established in 1992, spans 12,000 acres and includes several different habitats including swamp, wetlands, scrubland and flatwoods. Parts of the preserve are home to the endemic Florida Scrub Jay, but this area of the park is normally off-limits to visitors.
Again it was hot so we limited ourselves to a short walk on the John C. Sawhill Interpretive Trail.
The first sign of life on the trail
Our second lifer of the day a Brown-headed Nuthatch, which we saw along the trail shown above.
When we left the trail we signed out of the preserve’s trail register and noticed the only other recent visitor had been on the trails the day before, for just 15 minutes. We lasted about an hour and a half in the heat.
